The 19th Annual Convocation

The last Sunday of January 2014 saw another batch of TIP enter and leave the gates for officially the last time.
OmerJamilof TS-1 narrates his experiences of the day.

The fourteenth annual convocation ceremony was held on 26th January 2014. With that TIP has completed its 19 years of imparting professional knowledge. It was a day when 52 students graduated and rightfully earned their bachelors degrees. It was an honour for me to host this grand occasion alongside Insia Ali Baloch of TMM-1.

The graduating students were led by Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman followed by the faculty members, and members of the board of governors, President TIP Dr. Zubair Bandukda, chancellor TIP Mr. Arif Hasan and the keynote speaker Mrs. Ameena Syed. The program commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran and the National Anthem. Dr. Zubair Bandukda then took the podium for the welcome address. We could see the students getting restless with further speeches from the chancellor and the keynote speaker; however the speeches were encouraging nonetheless. Finally the graduating students, giving such priceless looks, were called to receive their graduating degrees by their respective academic co-ordinators. Parents seemed proud to see their children achieve this important milestone in life.

After the awarding of the degrees comes the special segment. Students who excelled in their academics are awarded medals for CGPAs of 3.4 or above. Rehan Azhar of Textile Sciences was Summa Cum Laude and topped the list for securing the highest 3.96 CGPA. The much anticipated Eqbal Ahmed Award, in memory of the late Dr. Eqbal Ahmed who was TIP’s first chancellor, was awarded to Qasim Ahmed also of Textile Sciences. An award not requiring academic proficiency, Qasim was bestowed with this award for his social work towards the children of the lower staff of the institute. He, along with his team, helped educate the children in their spare time. He received a gold plated medal and a cash award.

There were two special announcements which made this convocation more unique. The long serving chancellor Mr. Arif Hasan had decided to step down from his post and Mr. Abdul Majeed, one of the board members of the institute accepted to fill in the position. Other than his professional fame, Mr. Majeed was known among many as he generously sponsors the Eqbal Ahmed award each year. The other announcement was the departure of the one of the most celebrated faculty members in the history of TIP, Mr. Umair Saeed. He took the podium to deliver his farewell speech as he vacated the post of Dean, Academic Coordinator and head of the Textile Science department. A pivotal figure in the everyday running of the institute, Mr. Umair Saeed will surely be missed by faculty and students alike, and of course by the Texperts.

I was indeed overwhelmed to witness such a successful event in the history of TIP and I look forward to become a part of it in the following years. I am grateful to Professor Mazhar Jamil for giving me this opportunity.